2014 World Cup: Ex-Nigeria captain Oliseh believes African country can win tournament

Published on: 29 April 2014
2014 World Cup: Ex-Nigeria captain Oliseh believes African country can win tournament
Oliseh believes an African country can win the World Cup in Brazil

Ex-Nigeria captain Sunday Oliseh believes that the time has come for an African team to win the FIFA World Cup with the tournament in Brazil in June looming.

Oliseh represented Nigeria at two World Cup tournaments,USA 1994 and captaining the team at the 1998 World Cup in France.

Speaking on Cable News Network (CNN’s) Human to Hero series, Oliseh noted that poor and late preparations for the World Cup has always been the bane of Africa teams going for the global football tournament.

“I think an African country will eventually win the World Cup. What is lacking now, it’s simple to say … what is wrong is that we don’t plan well. We leave the planning ’until it is late,” Oliseh said.

The former Borussia Dortmund player added that:“Africans need to learn how to start pressurizing the opponents. Football has changed now. It’s no longer football where you pick individuals and expect them to do well.

“Now it’s more about team work, team dynamics, team schemes, things that are planned out like how to look at the opponent, how to bring about antidotes to the opponent’s playing star.

“When it comes to physical strength and bursts of speed, you can’t beat an African. But what is lacking now is just that technical and tactical know-how. Then we’ll get it,”

Oliseh further added that Nigeria will do well at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil,but he refused to be drawn into a prediction how far they can go in the tournament.

Do you think an African country can win the World Cup in Brazil in June? If there is an African country which country do you think can win it? Make your views known in the box below:

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